Don’t bet on strong bank earnings July 18, 2010 REACTIONS were mixed as the first of the season’s US bank earnings rolled in last week. Some analysts – like GFT’s David Morrison – were blaming poor revenue growth reported by Citigroup and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch (BoA-ML) on Friday for the subsequent dip in the S&P 500 as it plunged 2.09 per cent in [...]
Sterling’s time to shine July 27, 2010 STERLING might not have become the darling of the FX markets but it has certainly shed its image as their whipping boy. In what has been described as an ugly contest between the G4 currencies (US dollar, sterling, euro and yen), the pound is looking the rosiest. Last week’s GDP figures, which showed stunning growth [...]
Sterling’s time to shine July 27, 2010 STERLING might not have become the darling of the FX markets but it has certainly shed its image as their whipping boy. In what has been described as an ugly contest between the G4 currencies (US dollar, sterling, euro and yen), the pound is looking the rosiest. Last week’s GDP figures, which showed stunning growth [...]
House prices fall in May June 4, 2010 HOUSE prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May following April’s 0.1 per cent, drop, according to mortgage lender Halifax The fall still left prices 6.9 per cent higher in the three months to May compared with a year ago and took the average price of a UK home to £167,570. Analysts had forecast a [...]
F&C closes in on its Thames River acquisition August 5, 2010 EVEN by the standards of F&C Asset Management’s long and winding history, the past year has been eventful. The funds house, founded 140 years ago to manage the world’s first mass-market investment trust, made a long-awaited break for independence just over 12 months ago when it de-merged from life insurer Friends Provident. Analysts and employees [...]
ANALYST VIEWS:?DO CARPETRIGHT’S FIGURES SPELL A RECOVERY? June 29, 2010 KEITH BOWMAN | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN The results provide few if any surprises. Profits have recovered in line with the economic rebound in the UK, while currency movements have provided the group’s overseas operations with a favourable tailwind. Furthermore, the group’s move to supply the insurance industry has contributed, albeit in a small fashion. PETER SMEDLEY [...]
SuperGroup in £500k payout for online plans June 22, 2010 SuperGroup, owner of the Superdry brand, has paid the man who sold its seconds on the web £500,000 and taken the operation in-house. Chris Griffin, the top-rated UK seller of designer clothing on eBay, will be given the payment in shares. Meanwhile, Griffin will become the company’s e-commerce chief and be put on the SuperGroup [...]
The old guard offers Osborne advice August 25, 2010 Economies are pretty resilient things. Of course output can decline extremely sharply as a result of negative shocks – and the British economy shrunk 6.4 per cent in 2008-9 as a result of the world financial crisis and subsequent recession. But at some point they do usually bounce back to decent growth rates, particularly if [...]
The old guard offers Osborne advice August 25, 2010 Economies are pretty resilient things. Of course output can decline extremely sharply as a result of negative shocks – and the British economy shrunk 6.4 per cent in 2008-9 as a result of the world financial crisis and subsequent recession. But at some point they do usually bounce back to decent growth rates, particularly if [...]
Like football, financial services is truly global July 4, 2010 THE ENGLISH team may be out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but there is no question that, when it comes to finance, we are in the premier league. However we cannot ignore the fact that our rapidly developing counterparts are becoming more important on the global stage and challenging Europe’s competitiveness. That [...]